Complicating the Liberal-Conservative battle for control of B.C.’s right is a newcomer, the B.C. First Party, which seeks to translate Fight HST’s political capital into a victory.
“The people in Fight HST were able to remove a premier who wasn’t listening to the people, change an Opposition leader who wasn’t responsive to her party, and get a binding referendum … and have it moved up much earlier than it was originally planned for. Those are tremendous successes,” said party spokesman Chris Delaney.
SFU political scientist David Laycock says that B.C. First’s opposition to the HST is an asset that the other parties don’t have.
“Their problem is going to be that their natural constituency includes a lot of the people that (B.C. Conservative Leader) John Cummins is appealing to,” said Laycock.
“The only way a third party could make inroads is if there was some kind of an economic calamity that had people in an ‘anybody but what we have’ mentality,” he said.
The history of conservatism in B.C.
1885–1903
Elections are fought without political parties. Extreme government instability defines this period.
1903–1933
Elections are dominated by the Liberal-Conservative party (which in 1926 changes its name to the
Conservative party) and the Liberal party.
1933–1937
Unable to overcome infighting and indecision, the Conservative party does not run any candidates in the 1933 election, allowing the emergence of the CCF (later known as the NDP).
1937–1952
The Conservatives return to a position of influence, dominating the Liberals in the 1945 and 1949 elections.
1952–1991
W.A.C. Bennett quits the Conservatives after an unsuccessful bid for party leadership, crossing the floor to the Social Credit party, which wins every election in this period except 1972. The Liberals never win more than six seats in parliament.
1991–2009
Social Credit collapses amid infighting and electoral disaster in 1991 and 1994. The Liberals win the 2001 election and every election since. Efforts to unite B.C.’s conservatives into a Unity party see little success.
2009–2011
The Liberal party is weakened, primarily because of the HST and leader Gordon Campbell. The B.C. Conservatives emerge as an alternative, and B.C. First emerges from the Fight HST movement. david proctor
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